Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware is home to around 126,000 people with Hispanic heritage. Community members represent various different countries or territories, including Mexico, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. August and September see a concentration of Hispanic festivals due to a cluster of independence days across Latin America, and the free Baila Con Dover celebration is one of them.
The air smelled of grilled pinchos — traditional Puerto Rican chicken skewers — and the streets surrounding Dover’s Legislative Mall were cleared for dancers vibing to a Spanish mix of music at the Baila Con Dover festival.
The Hispanic Organization of Latin Americans in Dover held its fourth annual free Latin festival showcasing Hispanic culture on Sunday, Aug. 30.
For Susana Amador and her husband Jose Avila, the day was an opportunity to teach the community about their tribe — the Tonantzin Yaotecatl indigenous people of Mexico. The Wilmington-based chiefs, in addition to performing, sold handmade artisanal crafts.
For others like Jenny Baez Ortiz and her mother Sherry, Baila Con Dover is an ongoing, familiar celebration they attend year-after-year.
Even out-of-state attendees make the drive from Maryland, New Jersey or Pennsylvania, like the Puerto Rican music and dance group Bomberos de la Calle.
From the dozens of small businesses who cooked up fried plantains and Dominican hot dogs, to the groups of friends playing a round at the mesa de dominos or domino tables, Spotlight Delaware captured the community goers attending Saturday’s festivities.
Club de Danza Quetzalli is a local dance group whose purpose is to showcase Mexican culture. Baila Con Dover is one of many Hispanic festivals they have performed at. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Jenny Baez Ortiz and her mother Sherry wore coordinated Puerto Rico shorts at the festival on Aug. 29 to show off their pride. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Baila Con Dover had multiple music acts for the audience to dance to. Music genres ranges from salsa, bachata and cumbia — all traditional to Hispanic culture. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
“Baile folklorico” is a type of traditional, Mexican dance group that involves a man and a woman dancing to the beat of folk music. Both dancers are part of Club de Danza Quetzalli. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
The Baila Con Dover Festival brings out members of the community from across the state and neighboring states such as New Jersey and Maryland. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Many families attending the festival were showing off their cultural pride with matching bandanas or t-shirts. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Joanna bought a Dominican Hot Dog from Mi Casita Restaurant at the Dover festival. She said the hot dog and the “jugo de chinola” or passionfruit juice, remind her of the food she would eat back at the Dominican Republic. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Evelyn and her parents Luis and Lizet Moreno enjoyed the festival’s Puerto Rican food, the reggaeton music and meeting up with other attendees. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Los Bomberos de la Calle are a Philadelphia-based, Afro-Boricuan music and dance group. The group features traditional “bomba” music that uses handheld maracas and barrel-shaped drums. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Susana Amador and her husband Jose Avila are part of the Tonantzin Yaotecas Aztec dance group who performed at the Baila Con Dover festival. The family also sold handcrafted, indigenous art this year. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Eunice Turner is the CEO of Domadera Design, a woodcrafting company. At the festival, Turner was constructing a customized domino table filled with references and designs from Puerto Rico — her birth country. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
The Culture Club is a Milford-based organization that seeks to teach children about various cultures. At the Baila Con Dover festival, founder Neyda Albarran was displaying bilingual books for the community. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Pinchos — traditional Puerto Rican grilled chicken skewers — were being served at the hispanic festival. It is the most sought after item on the menu. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Maribel Gonzales is the owner of Boricua Gift Shop. She partners with two Puerto Rican candy shops and exports sweet treats to the U.S. to sell. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ 
Brenda Iris and her daughter were selling customized gifts, such as t-shirts and tumblers, that showcased a variety of nationalities. Iris regularly operates out of Claymont. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
